A recent study published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology summarized the challenges associated with adiposity assessment in clinical settings. Obesity increases cardiometabolic risks and decreases life expectancy. Nevertheless, elevated adiposity might not solely underlie this increased risk, as adipose tissue distribution in the body influences the risk of disease independent of weight.
Thus, understanding adipose tissue distribution can provide insights into obesity pathophysiology and assist therapeutic approaches. This requires accurate measurement of adipose tissue and its distribution, which is challenging, particularly in clinical settings. Several measurement techniques exist, and each offers different insights.
Therefore, it is challenging to select a single, universal method. As such, the present study discussed how these challenges influence the interpretation of research data in the context of obesity and the design/implementation of clinical guidelines. Perspective: The challenges of assessing adiposity in a clinical setting .
Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock Adipose tissue function varies based on its anatomical location. Besides, its function and distribution can differ between adults and children, ethnic groups, and males and females, warranting age-, sex-, and ethnicity-specific standards to analyze body composition. Assessing body composition changes associated with children’s growth is challenging as it occurs in spurts.
However, elevat.